Tourism-Related Facility Development in Sagarmatha (Mount Everest) National Park and Buffer Zone, Nepal Himalaya

Abstract

The increase in the number of tourists to mountain regions poses both opportunities and challenges for sustainable mountain development. In order to achieve sustainable development, it is essential to examine societal, landscape, and population transformation in mountain regions. This study explores transformation in the context of the tourism-related facility in Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone (SNPBZ) of Nepal as an example of the Himalayan region. Questionnaire surveys targeting the owners and managers of tourism-related facilities and interview surveys with various community leaders, officials, and school principals were conducted in the park in 2017–2019. Both surveys show that the types, ownership, distribution, and capacity of facilities in the park have been transformed. Growth of tourist numbers, improvement of porters’ accommodation conditions, and migrant labor are the main factors driving the transformation. Tourism has also induced imbalanced development and unequal benefits among the villages in the park. The findings suggest that diversification of trekking routes and facility and service quality improvement could help to mitigate imbalanced development and unequal benefits. The in-depth examination of the transformation of tourism-related facilities augments the knowledge of the dynamic changes of facilities in mountain regions, which is vital for sustainable mountain development.

Ecotourism, Environmental Impacts and Sustainability in the Himalayan Settlements: Study of Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park, Nepal

“…Comparatively, lodges along Lukla-Namche section of the trail used highest amount of firewood (54.6 kg/day) by each lodge followed by the lodges in Namche and its vicinity (49.3 kg/day) [54,1]. Sun and Watanabe [46] surveyed 318 lodges, of which 63 (19.8%) lodges had plans for expansion which further leads to consumption of timber. The settlement of Namche and Lukla share almost 33 % of the daily fuel wood consumption in the region [1].…”

Prospect of Tourism Development in Khaptad National Park: A Local Perspective

“…It has the potential economic base that can enhance people's lives by providing jobs, outdoor leisure, cultural attractions, tax revenues, and economic diversifi cation according to World Tourism Organization (Pradhan, 2016). Khaptad National Park is protected area of far-western region (Sun & Watanabe, 2021), Nepal that was established in 1984 (Li et al, 2021). Khaptad is a land of grassland and forests, which off ers treks that range from short easy hikes to strenuous ones, religious sightseeing with its several sacred sites, quiet rejuvenation in its pristine surroundings and the rich cultural experience of Sudar Sudurpaschim, Nepal (Joshi, 2013).…”

Examining Mountaineering as an Outdoor Leisure Activity: A Qualitative Study

“…Apart from the mountaineers themselves, mountaineering can benefit the regions where such activities are carried out. For example, increasing mountaineering activities in rural areas helps their development (Sun & Watanabe, 2021) and can replace declining agricultural activity (Apollo & Andreychouk, 2020). Thus, local governments in developing countries should support and encourage mountaineering Ertaş, M. (2022).…”